Cultural origins: This is a Japanese folktale, that can also be found under titles like: "The Wife's Portrait" or "The Picture Wife" or it's Welsh cousin "Morgan and the Pot o' Brains". While it is colored with details of the countryside of Japan, in it's truest form it is a tale that could be told in any country. The images to conjure here are that of the beautiful portrait of Gombei's wife, the endless fields of rice, and the stately home of the lord of the province.
Intended audience: All Ages (6 and up)
Why this audience?: There are elements in this story that will appeal to all ages. It is about marriage, loyalty and love. Adults will enjoy the simplicity and the imagery. Kids will enjoy a clever character who knew how to trick a selfish lord before she even laid eyes on him.
Characters: Gombei
The Beautiful Wife
The Lord of the Province
The Good Servants
The Beautiful Wife
The Lord of the Province
The Good Servants
Scenes/Settings: The Japanese countryside
Synopsis: Gombei was a good man. Gombei was a poor man. Gombei was a man of few words. He spent his days working in the fields and weaving straw into shoes. And while Gombei had everything he needed in life he was sometimes lonely. So late one night when he opened the door to a complete stranger who happened to be the most beautiful woman he had every laid eyes on he took extra special care of her. She begged for food and water and a place to spend the night. Gombei said, "Yes."
After the woman had recovered her strength she proposed that since they both appeared to be alone they should get married Gombei immediately agreed with a simple, "Yes."
Everyday when Gombei would go into the field he found he could only work in the vast rice fields for half a day for when the sun reached the top of the sky he rushed back to his house just to look on his wife's face. They were both very happy. But Gombei was not getting enough work done so his wife decided that she would have her portrait painted so Gombei could hang it in the fields so that he could look on her face all day until the sun went down.
This was a clever plan they both thought to themselves, and it was. The portrait was almost as beautiful as Gombei's wife herself, but one day a great wind blew the portrait away from the field and over a wall into the garden of the lord of the province.
When the lord looked upon this portrait he commanded to his servants to find this beautiful woman and bring her to him. His servants were good servants and while they did not agree with their master they set about combing the countryside for this beautiful woman to match her portrait. At last they reached Gombei's house and when his beautiful wife answered the door they told her of the lord's demands. She agreed to go with them but asked for a minute alone with her husband before she left. She quickly explained to Gombei to come to the lord's house with a pine tree on New Years day in a few weeks time calling: "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei agreed, "Yes." And she was gone.
Once at the lord's house Gombei's wife did not smile at all as she had done in her portrait. The lord was a patient man, if nothing else and he told her that before he married her he wanted to be able to make her smile like she had in the portrait. He brought her beautiful pets from exotic lands, fed her only the most delectable foods from all over the province, and he even brought in circus performers to entertain her. Nothing worked, she never cracked even the smallest of smiles until New Years day when she heard the words, "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!"
Seeing the smile the lord immediately called for the pine tree seller to be let into the house. The servants let Gombei in immediately and still he called, "Pine tree for sale! Pine trees for sale!" The more he shouted the more his wife smiled and the lord could not get enough. He grabbed the tree immediately and began to shout, "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei's wife was positively beaming.
He had to have more so he instructed Gombei to strip down to his underwear. He promptly gave Gombei his robes of finest silk and put on Gombei's peasants clothes. "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei's was on the verge of laughter and the lord was giddy with glee. He instructed his servants to open the gates so she could see him selling his wares in the village streets. Looking at Gombei's wife from the street however he suddenly realized that he was in the street, dressed as a peasant and Gombei was in his house dressed as a lord. He hammered on the gate for his servants to let him back in. But being good servants they decided to serve the master in robes of finest silk and Gombei and his beautiful wife lived there and were happy, for the rest of their days.
After the woman had recovered her strength she proposed that since they both appeared to be alone they should get married Gombei immediately agreed with a simple, "Yes."
Everyday when Gombei would go into the field he found he could only work in the vast rice fields for half a day for when the sun reached the top of the sky he rushed back to his house just to look on his wife's face. They were both very happy. But Gombei was not getting enough work done so his wife decided that she would have her portrait painted so Gombei could hang it in the fields so that he could look on her face all day until the sun went down.
This was a clever plan they both thought to themselves, and it was. The portrait was almost as beautiful as Gombei's wife herself, but one day a great wind blew the portrait away from the field and over a wall into the garden of the lord of the province.
When the lord looked upon this portrait he commanded to his servants to find this beautiful woman and bring her to him. His servants were good servants and while they did not agree with their master they set about combing the countryside for this beautiful woman to match her portrait. At last they reached Gombei's house and when his beautiful wife answered the door they told her of the lord's demands. She agreed to go with them but asked for a minute alone with her husband before she left. She quickly explained to Gombei to come to the lord's house with a pine tree on New Years day in a few weeks time calling: "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei agreed, "Yes." And she was gone.
Once at the lord's house Gombei's wife did not smile at all as she had done in her portrait. The lord was a patient man, if nothing else and he told her that before he married her he wanted to be able to make her smile like she had in the portrait. He brought her beautiful pets from exotic lands, fed her only the most delectable foods from all over the province, and he even brought in circus performers to entertain her. Nothing worked, she never cracked even the smallest of smiles until New Years day when she heard the words, "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!"
Seeing the smile the lord immediately called for the pine tree seller to be let into the house. The servants let Gombei in immediately and still he called, "Pine tree for sale! Pine trees for sale!" The more he shouted the more his wife smiled and the lord could not get enough. He grabbed the tree immediately and began to shout, "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei's wife was positively beaming.
He had to have more so he instructed Gombei to strip down to his underwear. He promptly gave Gombei his robes of finest silk and put on Gombei's peasants clothes. "Pine trees for sale! Pine trees for sale!" Gombei's was on the verge of laughter and the lord was giddy with glee. He instructed his servants to open the gates so she could see him selling his wares in the village streets. Looking at Gombei's wife from the street however he suddenly realized that he was in the street, dressed as a peasant and Gombei was in his house dressed as a lord. He hammered on the gate for his servants to let him back in. But being good servants they decided to serve the master in robes of finest silk and Gombei and his beautiful wife lived there and were happy, for the rest of their days.
Story Climaxes/High Points: The lord exits the estate attempting to play the poor peasant when the tables turn instantly and he realizes that he is a poor peasant selling a pine tree in the street and Gombei and his wife are in his house dressed as a lord and lady.
Special Chants/Phrases: Gombei was a good man. Gombei was a poor man. Gombei was a man of few words. - Narrator
"Pine Trees for Sale!" - Gombei
"Pine Trees for Sale!" - Gombei
Bibliographic Information:
Burch, Milbre. (2000). Pine Trees for Sale!. In More Ready-To-Tell Tales from Around the World (pp. 178-182). Little Rock, AK: August House.
Cole, Joanna. (1982). The Wife's Portrait. In Best-Loved Folktales of the World (519-521). Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Seki, Keigo. (1963). The Wife's Portrait. In Folktales of Japan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Cole, Joanna. (1982). The Wife's Portrait. In Best-Loved Folktales of the World (519-521). Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Seki, Keigo. (1963). The Wife's Portrait. In Folktales of Japan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Hi. When was this piece written?
ReplyDeleteThanks
What is the moral lesson of the story?
ReplyDelete